Ivan «Drago» Provorov Reports To Camp Primed For A Breakout Season

Under an aggressive and equally passionate John Tortorella, Ivan Provorov should return to his former self; which is an aggressive, offensively minded, stable force for the Flyers. The Flyers defensive philosophies and the systems they implemented, under coaches Mike Yeo, Alain Vigneault, and even back to Dave Hakstol, were all relatively similar.

For years the Philadelphia Flyers played a passive, collapsing defense, loose gap control on the rush, easy entries at the blueline, minimal to no pressure on the puck up high in their zone, and a passive box on the penalty kill, style of play. I expect under Tortorella, the Flyers will play a more aggressive, attacking style of play that tightens gaps, finishes checks, and pressures the puck constantly, which will be a revelation for Ivan Provorov's game.

If Provorov is expected to be at his best, he needs to play an aggressive and tenacious style defense and rely on his high hockey IQ; he isn't a sit back and passively defend type player. Provorov is also at the top of his game when the leashes are taken off of him offensively and he is given the green light to jump into the rush and wheel the puck freely.

I believe having a mobile and stable defense partner, which Tony DeAngelo, Cam York, or Travis Sanheim can all provide, will also free him up offensively and instill more confidence in allowing him to harness his offensive instincts, without jeopardizing the Flyers defensively. Expect big things from the machine, Ivan Provorov this year!

A little humorous take on Provorov's legendary training regiment in the off-season was posted on Twitter recently.